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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23331928">It's so dark here</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira7/pseuds/Kira7'>Kira7</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Underworld (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(for Barty/Voldemort), (headcanon: Barty Jr's mother was an Ollivander), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Barty had a crush on Voldemort, Barty received dementor's kiss, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Dementor's Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, I imagined it as a mix between PVS (Persistent Vegetative State) and MCS (minimally conscious state), I'm not a doctor though so there could be mistakes, Kinda, Lucian tried to suffocate Barty, Lucian was mistaken for being a squib, M/M, Not Beta Read, One-Sided Relationship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sharing a Bed, Sick person abandonment, Slow To Update, Social Prejudices, They're not dead, english isn't author's first language, taking care</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:09:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,771</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23331928</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira7/pseuds/Kira7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucian was arrested and taken to Azkaban, where he was placed in a cell with another man, very silent.<br/>Who was he?<br/>They had escaped and hid, for the moment they were safe... Barty, Lucian had found out his name, he was still under the effect of the Dementor's Kiss, but soon he would wake up, the Lycan was sure.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bartemius Crouch Jr./Lucian (Underworld), Bartemius Crouch Jr./Voldemort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I haven't watched Underworld yet (shame on me!), so Lucian could be Out of Character? Idk, I read his back story on wiki, I hope I can watch Underworld as soon as possible.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><b>EDIT 23rd June</b>: I finally got a chance to watch Underworld and Underworld The Rise of the Lycans, I'm fixing the parts of the fiction where Lucian could be OOC. Sorry for the inconvenience.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was captured and taken to what he heard was Azkaban, a place from which it was impossible to escape, but he had defied death more than once, and had came out alive, he didn't want to spend his life in a prison, not again.<br/>
Lucian was led to an already occupied cell, but the other human being didn't seem to be a real threat, curled up in the darkest corner of the cell.<br/>
At least he was silent, he didn't cry and didn't complain like the other prisoners, which in the course of the days made the Lycan very irritated, trying to look for a common point to be able to talk to him.</p><p>"What have you done?," he asked once.<br/>
Silence answered him.</p><p>"Why are you here?," Lucian tried another day.</p><p>"Has the cat got your tongue?," he asked sarcastically another day, laughing alone, and getting no response, as usual.</p><p>If he didn't try to talk to his cellmate, Lucian screamed, threatening that when they least expected he would run away, he did it once, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to do it a second time.<br/>
However, as the days passed, the lycan calmed down, feeling more and more exhausted, more and more tired, but this didn't make him give up wanting to know who the other man locked in his own cell was.<br/>
He discovered from the other prisoners that the man had managed to escape from Azkaban, the first fugitive after centuries in which no one else had succeeded in the undertaking, and the news intrigued Lucian even more.</p><p>"How did you get away from here?," he began to ask at the man then, for several days, also starting to get impatient for the answer denied.</p><p>"Enough," he shouted after weeks in which he had heard nothing but his own voice.</p><p>Lucian approached the other man, grabbing his forearms and starting to shake him with force, perhaps too much, "Can you tell me something?"</p><p>"You still don't understand?," a distant male voice shouted.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"You don't know many things and yet you are a prisoner of Azkaban," another female voice chanted in an attempt to make fun of him.</p><p>"What am I supposed to know?!"</p><p>"Barty received Dementor's Kiss."</p><p>What was that?, Lucian thought, but he didn't ask questions about it, "So?"</p><p>"So your friend doesn't have a soul anymore. It's empty," the voice laughed.</p><p>"An empty shell," another voice did the same.</p><p>Lucian found himself speechless, observing the man's glassy eyes, feeling a mixture of horror and pity.</p><p>"It's a miracle that he's still alive," a male voice said.</p><p>"Or a curse," Lucian added.</p><p>"Yes, definitely a curse," the female voice agreed with Lucian, and started laughing again, followed by others, before they all came back in silence after a few seconds.<br/>
Lucian sat next to his cellmate, studying him, he was quite young, with short brown hair, pronounced cheekbones, his arms encircled his legs, the chin resting on his knees, his brown eyes looked at nothing.</p><p>"So, you're Barty," he said as he closed his eyes, glad to have heard something about that man, "I'm Lucian."</p>
<hr/><p>It was difficult to find a time when surveillance was less attentive, those sort of ghosts fluttered always and everywhere, silent, ready to act. Lucian glanced at his cellmate, Barty, who had left the meal bowl completely intact.</p><p>"You should eat," he said good-naturedly.</p><p>As always the other didn't answer.<br/>
Lucian looked at him, wondering how could it be possible to live without a soul, what did he think, what did he feel? He was probably either damned all his life, or probably in a state of eternal bondage, and the latter thought made his blood boil with anger: no man or woman deserved such treatment. With the memories firmly etching in his mind returned, Lucian decided to act, and assumed his lycan form.<br/>
Everything happened in a hurry, Lucian grabbed Barty and broke through the stone wall, falling from a height of hundreds of meters, followed by the Dementors. As always, the lycan landed on his paws, holding his former cellmate tight, fleeing into the forest, at great speed, he heard those ghosts screaming and chasing him, damn, what the hell were they? Fortunately, those bastards stopped following them at a certain time, but Lucian continued to run, as far as he could, all night and the following day, despite the fatigue; fortunately for him, the lycan, now at the end of his strength, found an abandoned wooden hut, it could have been useful just for a little rest, moreover if he had to carry a defenseless man.</p><p>"Could you help, you know?," he said laying the man on the ground, but he didn't move at all, much to Lucian's surprise.<br/>
The lycan lifted him up again and placed him near a window.</p><p>"Well, at least you can look out here. It's a beautiful day, huh? A beautiful day to be free," he stretched out on the floor, closing his eyes, "And sleep. Wake me up if you see those ghosts around here."</p><p>The human didn't answer and didn't even wake Lucian, nobody bothered them. Barty looked out the window, the sunset colored the interior of the hut red, it was a magnificent sight, but for the magician it was simply a sun that disappeared on the horizon.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you want to scream with me, you can find me on <a href="https://kira-7.tumblr.com">
  <b>Tumblr</b>
</a> or <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/kira7_13">
  <b>Twitter</b>
</a> 😄</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lucian finds out the reason why Barty was at Azkaban; how will he react?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Forgive me for the delay 🙏🏻<br/><b>EDIT 28th June</b>: I fixed the parts in which Lucian seemed Out of Character, I hope I did a good job *finger crossed* 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lucian opened his eyes, it was morning, and looked up, his former cellmate was still looking outside.</p><p>"Good morning," he said, "Are you already awake?"</p><p>Lucian got up and wiped the dust on him a little, looked around, studying the environment around him well; there were only strange tools, leashes, lots of brooms, chains, but nothing that could prove useful to them. The Lycan looked back at the other man, who didn't move from his position, evidently he was calm because he knew perfectly well how to resolve the situation, if only he had deigned to speak; Lucian didn't have time to point it out to the other man because his stomach started to grumble and there was nothing to eat in that hut.</p><p>"I'm starving, and you?"<br/>
He noticed how thin Barty was, even too much, maybe that was why he couldn't move? How long had it been since he had eaten?</p><p>"We have to feed ourselves, otherwise we can't keep running away from them, do you agree?"<br/>
The other man didn't answer, but that didn't make Lucian nervous, he had to remain calm and resolve the situation as soon as possible.</p><p>"I'll go around here if there's anything, in case I'll go hunting. Stay here."<br/>
He left the hut and began to explore the area better, until he felt observed, and the lycan turned immediately, with sharp teeth well visible, ready to fight, but found out that there was no one behind him, yet he seemed that someone was watching him, who was?<br/>
From the hut, Lucian glimpsed a pair of eyes that kept him in check, was he then? Lucian closed his hands in two fists, closing his eyes and inhaling to relax and, once he calmed down, turned around once more, he had a lot of work to do.</p>
<hr/><p>Being in the open air, in the absence of that modern and noisy Budapest, gave him a sense of strangeness, in all those years he was no longer used to open and uncontaminated spaces, it seemed he returned back in time, before the beginning of the war, before freedom.<br/>
He was returning to the hut, holding the carcasses of two hares in his hands that he would cook when he smelled smoke; so, before returning, Lucian followed the trail, until he came out of the thick forest and saw a small village on the mountain side. At first glance, it didn't seem bad, it was far enough to allow the two of them to live momentarily without problems, the inhabitants would have taken a couple of hours to walk to the hut; besides, it was close enough not to spend whole days looking for supplies, it would have been easy to grab something stealthily without being seen. Soon, the lycan promised himself, he would go for a ride, study it, see how it was organized, and if it could be a good hiding place, but now he had to go back to the hut, after all he wasn't alone.</p>
<hr/><p>He opened the door, and immediately glanced to notice that man was exactly where he had left him a couple of hours earlier.</p><p>"I found dinner, I hope you're not vegetarian," he tried to joke, then put his preys on the ground to look around and find a way to light the fire.<br/>
He headed for the window, the only one present in there, the one Barty looked out from.</p><p>"I don't want to hurt you, just open it," he warned, without receiving any reaction, after which he did what he said to let out the smoke that would have been created; after which Lucian picked up some pieces of wood, he laid them on the floor and started to handle the sticks until a small flame was seen that began to caress the wood. While laying the two animals to cook them, he started talking to Barty again, he had to share the situation they were in, two would have known better how to continue.</p><p>"We're in a clearing, around us there is a dense forest, perfect for hiding us in case things get complicated," he turned to look at his former cellmate, "There is a village not far from here, it's inhabited. I didn't go to visit it, however, maybe I will in the next few days."<br/>
The man's breathing was the only answer he received.</p><p>"And you? Have you seen something interesting?"<br/>
He began to turn the hares and felt their flesh with his fingers, it began to soften, they were almost ready.</p><p>"The last thing I don't want is to go back to that prison. Fugitive for a day and I already feel better, it was like hell there. I thought I had lived it, as a prisoner, as a slave, and yet those weeks spent there were the worst of my life, as if I had experienced a nightmare."</p><p>He felt that change in his physical and mental state: inside Azkaban he felt exhausted, angry, ready to let it all go, with his mind always thinking about Sonja and the death of their child, yet after a day he felt different, still exhausted, of course, but it was as if the previously dormant energy in his body now wanted to find a way out; and he had spent only a few weeks in that prison, what would have happened to him if he had stayed longer, would he have ended up like that man with him?<br/>
The other prisoners had said that Barty had received Dementor's Kiss, what did it mean, maybe it was a kind of exile? A ban that forced that man to live in that prison for the rest of his life? He must had done something really serious to receive such a sentence; Lucian didn't consider himself a criminal, obviously, he had made choices, but they were consequences, choices dictated by revenge and, once obtained, he had looked for a place where he could live peacefully, making peace with his past. For this reason he had decided to go far, to go to Great Britain, leaving Budapest behind, he didn't initially mind the idea, until he was attacked by a man with a wooden stick that emitted sparks, Lucian transformed and attacked him, then the rest was history.</p><p>"What did you do to deserve prison?"<br/>
No answer, the lycan still wondered why he was trying to talk to a seemingly deaf man or who didn't want to start a conversation. The hares were ready, so Lucian took them and put out the fire, offering a hare to the other ex-prisoner, but the latter didn't raise his hand to take dinner.</p><p>"You should eat, you know?"<br/>
Again no reaction; Lucian rolled his eyes, then began to tear some small pieces of meat and bring them to the man's mouth, also forcing the opening of those thin lips.</p><p>"You're pretty stubborn, huh?"<br/>
Lucian took a bite at his dinner, enjoying the taste of cooked meat, "We have to get back in force if we want to keep running away. You have to eat a lot if you want to live on."<br/>
Lucian handed him another piece of meat and that mouth barely cooperated.</p><p>"You are a rather strange type," he commented as he continued to eat and feed the man at the same time, "You don't talk, you don't move, but you don't mind being fed."<br/>
Once the meal was over, Lucian allowed himself to fix Barty's hair, so he would have enjoyed a better view without the obstacle of the tufts of hair in front of his eyes. The lycan paused to observe him better than he had done in the cell, the nasal septum didn't seem broken and the face wasn't disfigured by scars, on the contrary: if it hadn't been dirty, Lucian could hypothesize that the person before him belonged to high society.</p><p>"And you should also rest," he continued, "You have bad dark circles, your body won't hold up long if you continue like this. You have never slept or eaten since I entered that cell, sooner or later you will collapse."<br/>
That said, he yawned and relaxed, his body was asking to rest, he was still not in full force, closed his eyes, "Don't say I didn't warn you. Night."</p>
<hr/><p>The first few days went by, resting as much as possible, as soon as he woke up, Lucian went in search of food, cooked it the best he could and ate it, while taking care of the man he began to consider an adventure companion, like Raze. Speaking of Barty, he ate, but he didn't seem to sleep, as he kept his eyes open when Lucian slept and still kept them open when the lycan woke up.</p><p>"Today I am going for a walk in the village and I will also look for something to eat."<br/>
Lucian felt that it was the right day to do it, he was rested and invigorated, he could face such a journey without getting too tired. The other ex-prisoner continued to look out, his legs wrapped in his arms, his head propped against the wall.</p><p>"Be careful."<br/>
That said, Lucian went out and started running, he was beginning to worry about leaving the man who seemed helpless for too long; at the time, Barty was the only human being with whom he had a companionship, although when Lucian spoke, it looked more like a monologue than a dialogue. If he had found a way to make him talk and react, maybe he would have found a great ally to escape from those ghosts, even if he doubted they could be ghosts, what were they then?</p><p>Once arrived in the village, Lucian decided to take secondary roads, so no one would have noticed him, with those dirty and stinky rags it was clear that he was a fugitive.<br/>
To the stranger's attentive eyes, the inhabitants were all dressed in a simple way, sometimes someone used a wand or stick to help themselves in some business, surprising the lycan quite a lot, he had never seen anything like it, except when he was attacked, before being taken to prison.<br/>
As he walked, the door of a house attracted his attention for being left open; on the one hand, Lucian didn't want to enter, but the temptation to rummage some clothes for him and Barty led him to cross the threshold without being invited: at first glance it seemed abandoned, the dust covered the furniture and the floor, there were several cobwebs and stale smell, but he couldn't be sure, so Lucian decided to go up the stairs, looking for clothes and, once he arrived in front of a bedroom, he realized that it was really uninhabited, the layer of dust on the blanket of the bed couldn't lying; Lucian went to open the closet and found a pair of old clothes, but only a shirt and a pair of pants could be used, the rest were clothes too small to be worn.<br/>
Once settled, the lycan went down the stairs again, heading towards the kitchenette, to open the shelves and see if there was any food left. The first attempt failed, but Lucian didn't lose heart and continued to search, searching through the various things he had found in that house, for various trinkets and odds and ends, then his hands touched a piece of paper, which Lucian pulled out, it was from an old newspaper, there was a moving photo of his former cellmate; he started reading the article.</p><p>
  <i>"Bartemius Crouch Jr., son of Bartemius Crouch Senior, was arrested after a year in which he took the form of Alastor Moody, teaching students of the Hogwarts School of Magic and Witchcraft. Bartemius Crouch Jr. had managed to escape from Azkaban some time ago, but after being captured again he was sentenced to the Dementor's kiss, to be sent back to Azkaban. He was a Death Eater, in the service of the One-who-should-not-be-named, convicted the first time for torturing the spouses Paciock with the Crucio Curse to the point of madness, together with Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, leaving the son of the Paciock alone and--"</i>
</p><p>The image of two tortured spouses destabilized Lucian, knowing that he had saved a person just like Viktor made him short of breath, while a female voice screamed in pain to be burned by the sunlight, while he cried and called her name desperately. He had helped a guilty man to escape, he was in prison and had to go back: bringing two people, two lovers, two parents, to madness was-- Lucian began to sniff and rubbed his eyes.<br/>
Those two spouses had had a baby, what had happened to him? Taken by anger, and by the desire for revenge for a matter that didn't belong to him, Lucian was convinced that this man deserved prison, and not only that.</p>
<hr/><p>It was sunset and Lucian returned to the hut, shot a fiery glance at Barty, ready for any attack, but when that man remained motionless, continuing to look out the window, the lycan decided to approach menacingly, grabbed his throat to suffocate him; somehow, he felt he had to do something to avenge that couple.</p><p>"How did you allow yourself to torture two lovers! What harm had they done to you? They had a baby, damn it, a baby! And you destroyed them!," he growled with tears in his eyes and teeth showed, he was ready to bite that man.<br/>
Lucian felt the bones of that neck creak under his fingers, but Barty didn't look at him, he seemed to have already died, a dead man who was still alive, and this thought made Lucian's grip melt. After leaving him, the lycan moved away from that being, who didn't even start coughing to catch his breath.</p><p>"Tomorrow I'll make sure someone finds you, so they'll bring you back to that prison, that's the ideal place for murderers like you!"<br/>
Lucian pondered if it was appropriate to take that man out as he sat in a corner of the hut, away from the stranger, keeping his eyes open so as not to lose any movement. He didn't eat anything and didn't give anything to eat even to that man, it was still difficult to realize what he had done, the thought of that lonely, defenseless and parentless child deprived Lucian of the strength he had recently regained: how could a person be evil enough to hurt others? Why did these people exist?<br/>
Immersed in his own thoughts, with his hands clutching his long hair, Lucian didn't notice a lonely tear that ran down the other man's dirty cheek. And he wouldn't even believe his eyes if he saw it. Some people were unable to have feelings.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you want to scream with me, you can find me on <a href="https://kira-7.tumblr.com">
  <b>Tumblr</b>
</a> or <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/kira7_13">
  <b>Twitter</b>
</a> 😄</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><b>EDIT 3rd July</b>: I fixed the parts in which Lucian seemed Out of Character, I hope I did a good job *finger crossed* 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun's rays woke him up, and he was forced to open his eyes, noting with bitterness that he had succumbed to fatigue; he immediately turned his gaze to his left, gritting his teeth at the thought of being suddenly attacked, but the other man was still there, motionless, always with his gaze turned to outside the window.<br/>
That didn't convince Lucian, who stood up with his guard raised, what if it was a farce and that man actually wanted to torture him as he had done in the past with his other victims?<br/>
The Lycan didn't speak, rather he slowly opened the door to go away and leave that man to his fate. He had no intention of staying there a minute longer, so he went straight to the village, he would get confused with the inhabitants and start a new life; as he walked, Lucian could feel again that he was being watched, but this time he wouldn't turn around.</p>
<hr/><p>"Excuse me Madame."</p><p>A woman turned and observed Lucian, "Can I do something for you, young man?"</p><p>Lucian didn't say his name, he preferred to smile and keep talking, "I'd like to move to this village, it's very quiet, and I noticed that in that house--" he pointed behind him the same house where he had rummaged the day before, "Nobody lives there, would there be problems if I took it?"</p><p>The old lady glanced at the house and then turned back to the Lycan, "I'm afraid no one has lived there for a long time, old Simus had no one."<br/>
The man nodded, pleasantly relieved that he didn't have to look elsewhere, he would have used that house for a couple of weeks, not one day more, and then to leave and continue to run away, he had to find a place far from that criminal.<br/>
His stomach gurgled, in fact he couldn't escape without putting something under his teeth.</p><p>"Do you know if I can help someone in exchange for money?"</p><p>The woman, who was about to leave, turned again to Lucian, studying him even better, "It will be difficult for a Squib like you to find a job here, wasn't it better that you stayed in the Muggle world?," after that she left.<br/>
Squib? Muggles? What did it mean? While Lucian was wondering about this, he entered in that house, thinking about what to do, he had to devise a plan, without arousing suspicion in the inhabitants... The Budapest's sewers would have been useful, at this time, where he could hide without problems , as it had done in recent centuries. Meanwhile, taking advantage that nobody knew who he really was, Lucian tied his hair better, he had to be a good little dog, momentarily, and find a way to earn.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Squib, but I can't help you."<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"My cousin had a Squib who helped him, but they robbed him!"<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"No wand, no job."</p><p>"But I haven't a wand," Lucian replied to the umpteenth no of the day, trying any method to remain calm.</p><p>"Then, young man, I advise you to go back to the Muggles, it would be normal to not have one."<br/>
Lucian rolled his eyes and went away, another hole in the water, what was that fixed concept for a wand they all had? And then he had been held up countless times as Squib, not to mention returning to the Muggle world, if he had known what it meant he probably would have.<br/>
Far from prying eyes, the lycan went into the woods to go hunting, a couple of times he happened to approach the hut, however Lucian didn't go to check the situation, on contrary he resumed his own business, convinced that person had already gone away, or was captured.</p>
<hr/><p>It was strange not to have someone to talk to, even if the person in question never answered him; yet, in those days, Lucian heard the voices of the village whispering behind him as soon as he turned the corner, he began to feel too observed by those people, as if they waited for one distraction of his to attack him. He was used to looking over his back, but over time Raze's presence had reassured him more than once, he was a person Lucian could trust, to whom he would also entrust his life, Raze was a good friend, and an excellent fighter; there, in that country, the lycan was in the minority, neither when he was under the vampire's imprisonment he was in difficulty, instead he had to find allies now, as soon as possible... Even if he was no longer at war, the lycan had to find someone to help his escape from those ghosts, the villagers didn't seem willing to help a Squib, whatever that meant, not to mention that this aforementioned <i>Squid</i> had escaped from a prison, the only option that came to his mind was--<br/>
Lucian shook his head, it was a bad idea, had he collaborate with someone who enjoyed torturing innocent people? Lucian had read that newspaper article over and over again, trying to find pros and cons of a possible collaboration with that being, or to justify himself for leaving that man to his destiny, which he still believed was right, but at the moment that man seemed the only plausible solution to be able to escape, someone who had escaped from that prison before and who, Lucian was sure, knew the area where they were, or at least who knew how to move in this world, so similar and yet so different from his home.<br/>
<br/>
The lycan looked out of the window he had opened, the faint rays of an autumn sunset illuminated his face, and Lucian closed his eyes, letting himself be caressed by that faint heat, while thinking about different ways to be able to live there: if the news had circulated in a hurry, it wouldn't be long before they learned of the escape of two prisoners; if he had been alone, he probably would had to move away, choosing different city, or even Nation, in order to live again without problems; if that man had been still there, in the hut, Lucian would had more chance to survive, despite the prospect of being able to collaborate with an insane madman. What was the right thing to do?</p><p>"Mom, I saw a man looking out over the abandoned hut."<br/>
The lycan reopened his eyes, turning his attention out of the window, without being seen.</p><p>"It was your imagination that showed him to you."</p><p>"No, it's the truth! I saw him!"</p><p>"All right, all right," Lucian heard a sigh from the child's mother mother, "I'll ask someone to go and take a look. Didn't I also tell you not to go too far from the village?"<br/>
The lycan no longer paid attention to the speech between mother and son that was taking place, his possibility of being able to orient himself in that world was about to fade. With a low growl, Lucian raised and got out from the window, confident that he would got less attention in this way.</p>
<hr/><p>After days of absence, Lucian reopened the door of that hut, surrounded by the night's shadows, finding that man exactly where he had left him, which human being would have remained there, after days of abandonment, having the possibility of being free after the prison? Not paying attention to the guilt that was rising in his heart, the lycan took a few steps and took a deep breath, while he glanced with his ice-cold eyes to look at the other man, "People might come to check, you're no longer safe here."<br/>
Then, Lucian approached Barty to pick him up, and immediately felt the cold skin, that slender body was covered by a shiver because of the contact with the warm body of the lycan.</p><p>"Make sure you don't make any noise," he reguarded, then exiting the hut to head for the village house.</p>
<hr/><p>Once he made sure that no one was around, Lucian entered the house and closed the door, heading immediately to the bedroom, resting Barty on the mattress. As he was removing that man's arms wrapped around his neck, the lycan looked at that high-society profile, and sighed, closing his eyes to suppress the guilt that was devouring him from the inside, giving him a feeling similar to silver bullets in his flesh.</p><p>"I said you deserved to be arrested and sent back to that prison, and I'm still sure about it. But--" he opened his eyelids, looking for those empty eyes, "You could be useful to me, after all you owe me your salvation."<br/>
And an answer didn't come, not even this time; Lucian thought about when Selene had saved him before Kraven could shoot him, and how he saved Michael out of gratitude, those two were happy to be able to live that strange, but by no means forbidden, love.</p><p>
  <i>"Thank you," Lucian said to Selene, before leaving, noting the resemblance to his Sonja.<br/>
"Don't make me regret it."</i>
</p><p>He had observed how Michael had killed Viktor, realizing the lycan's last desire of revenge, which had made him decided to start to living again somewhere else.<br/>
Barty's expression, now lying on the dusty bed, seemed melancholy, while keeping his eyes fixed on the ceiling, and he had goosebumps, due to those few rags he wore.</p><p>"Are you cold? Your race usually suffers from these low temperatures."<br/>
Lucian barely lifted that body to cover it with the blanket, but it seemed light, too light for someone so slender that he hadn't moved and had probably not eaten since Lucian abandoned him. The Lycan tried to open some doors of the closet to look for more to use, but there was nothing that could be used as a blanket, it seemed that there was only one thing left to do to prevent that man from dying from hypothermia.</p><p>Lucian approached the mattress, "I need you more alive than dead."<br/>
After justifying himself, he transformed and slipped between the other man's chest and arms, forcing him to put his hands on the lycan's fur-covered back. Lucian felt slightly uncomfortable about that contact, but tried not to think about it; it was the first time in a long time that he was touched, even rarer when he was transformed. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep on the man's body.<br/>
He didn't realize that, at some point during the night, the man's hands were overwhelmed by a spasm, and they slightly squeezed his black fur.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you want to scream with me, you can find me on <a href="https://kira-7.tumblr.com">
  <b>Tumblr</b>
</a> or <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/kira7_13">
  <b>Twitter</b>
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        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun's rays began to warm the room, they even touched Lucian's back, who enjoyed that sensation as best he could, until he found a second sensation annoying, a pair of hands surrounding his back, cold hands, like a dead man's, so much in contrast to sun's heat, even Sonjia's hands were warmer than these. With an annoyed grunt, Lucian opened his eyes and got up, finding under him the other man, the one he had saved and was continuing to, who kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling, without batting his eyelashes, breathing slowly, his mouth was tight.</p>
<p>"Are you better?," he asked rhetorically, knowing by now that it was useless to ask him questions, but the Lycan could check for himself that young man was actually better, at least his body, then the peripheral areas such as hands and feet were still frozen, as he had seen firsthand.<br/>
Lucian decided to get out of bed permanently, it was a bit difficult, actually, because those slender arms opposed him with an unusual strength, as if they were made of marble and Lucian would have to break them to free himself.</p>
<p>"Of course," he began to say after a first careful attempt that went up in smoke, "When you want you have the strength."<br/>
Concentrating on not using too much strength, otherwise he would had broken both of that man's arms, Lucian broke away from that contact, causing an annoyed sound in the other man and his hands began to tremble slightly as they brushed the Lycan's shoulders; Lucian noticed the movement, and gave a frowning look to his previously cellmate, but those brown eyes were blank, almost lifeless, yet there was a slight reaction.</p>
<p>"You're waking up," he said, partly relieved, rising to his feet and looking around, "Make sure you move as soon as possible. If they catch us, it will be hard to carry you and fight them at the same time."</p>
<p>He had a deep breath in response, and that was enough; Lucian put his hair behind his shoulders, cracking his neck, closed his eyes for a few seconds, ready to start the day, he had to check how the situation was outside, a child who was talking could light a fire, also he had to see if there was a chance to earn a few coins or hunt something... Both he and his friend were in a delicate situation, one misstep and both of them could end up in prison again.</p>
<p>He looked out of the window at the street below, some people were already busy with their own chores, "I'm going to see how it is out there," he communicated, taking the jacket to wear it, then stopped to look at the man, "Well, keep an eye on the house. Bye"</p>
<p>He went down the stairs and went out, leaving Barty alone, the wizard opened his mouth slightly, emitting a low rattle, which only an attentive ear would had given the impression that it was an "-ye."</p><hr/>
<p>This time, Lucian didn't waste too much time asking around for a job, he rather preferred to wander around the village, listening to different conversations, ready to catch any hint of their escape, or the disappearance of that mysterious man who was in the hut, and actually the news weren't long in coming: people had started to murmur about the new escape of Bartemius Crouch Junior, news that came through the newspaper, convinced that Death Eaters helped him, to carry out the actions of He-who-not-must-be-named, they were frightened, but according to the Lycan they seemed unaware that the fugitive was hiding right there among them. Furthermore, Lucian felt satisfied in never hearing his name, or his own kind, on the mouths of those people, he could still breathe under the protective wing of the unknown. With these assurances, the Lycan was finally able to go hunting, he felt much calmer.</p><hr/>
<p>A week passed, the villagers began to murmur about him, but Lucian didn't pay much attention to them, used to hearing people murmuring behind him; he heard them wondering who he was, where he came from and what he wanted in their village, someone had hypothesized that he was a Death Eater, given the slightly unkempt appearance and the preference for wearing black, but other voices had silenced them by stating that there wasn't any Black Mark on his arm, only an old scar on his shoulder, not to mention that this stranger didn't give off any magical energy, he was probably just a poor Squib who had to face the harsh reality of never being able to use magic.<br/>
Lucian was finally beginning to understand some terms that were unknown to him until a few months ago, and he understood what was this <i>magic</i>, in fact he noticed people used to use a piece of wood, a <i>wand</i>, to help themselves with the most difficult and heavy jobs; for a few days the Lycan had thought about how beautiful this part of the world was, in which no one exploited anyone, but then he saw how certain people used small beings dressed in rags, and a rage went through his whole body, whatever part of the world was, there were always those who were enslaved, without the possibility of being able to know what freedom was.<br/>
What was worse, he had discovered, was that these beings were happy to be slaves, one day he happened to help one of them, she must have been called Wickly, or something like that, but she had threatened to call her master, that he was good enough to take her with him after the vicissitudes at Hogwarts. Lucian didn't remember a single moment when he thanked for being a prisoner, perhaps as a child, when he was still naive and innocent, but the more he grew, the more that collar choked him, until it was completely broken; at this moment, however, he couldn't help beings who didn't want to be liberated, freedom was something that must first of all be desired, which the Lycan didn't notice.<br/>
When he returned to what he could momentarily called home, Lucian took care of Barty, he had begun to react to some stimuli, especially the tactile and sound ones, on one hand the Lycan hoped that the other fugitive would remember what had happened, the escape, the hut, otherwise it would had been a problem, nothing that could not be solved, but he wanted to spare himself, and perhaps begin to work out a plan to escape and remain hidden until the waters had calmed down. Indeed, Lucian didn't feel safe, even when he slept he wasn't calm, he always feared that those ghosts could arrive at any moment and lock him up again; would the man he had saved helped him? Or would he went out of his way to use Lucian as a bait and escape all alone? Collaboration was the best choice, they would had had more chances of success... He just had to wait and see how the other fugitive would react.</p><hr/>
<p>Another week passed, and little or nothing changed, only Barty began to move his hands and close his eyelids every now and then, but he didn't respond to his sentences, neither when Lucian told him about his past nor what had happened during the day, he had to be patient, the Lycan kept telling himself, sooner or later the man would wake up from that state... What if he was just wasting time looking after a person who would never wake up, risking being caught again? The doubts were there, it was useless to deny and hide them, for the first time in a long time Lucian felt helpless, without any goal, without a purpose, only to survive as long as possible, also for this reason he hoped that the man next to he woke up.</p>
<p>"How long will it take them to discover us?," he asked, looking at the moon, "If at least I knew the enemy, I wouldn't feel my hands are tied."<br/>
He walked over to Barty, taking his shoulders and shaking them, "You wanna wake up, damn it!"<br/>
Not even a moan could provoke, and this increased the frustration in the Lycan's heart, who let go of the other man and went down the stairs, deciding to relax as little as he could his nerves, transformed himself and started running around the village, probing the ground, with his senses alert in listening to the slightest noise, the slightest suspicion, that he was being chased, that someone was setting a trap for him, ready to catch him when he was more fragile. No, he had to keep his concentration high, he didn't have to let himself go to sentimentality, he had been at the head of a rebellion, in his veins ran the blood of a leader, always ready to make decisions, able to anticipate the moves of his opponent, the not knowing the enemy was just a futile setback... At least he wanted to convince himself of that...<br/>
Still transformed, Lucian stopped, surrounded by trees, to catch his breath... For a moment, his mind raced to Sonja, to her beautiful face, to her beautiful eyes burning with courage and stubbornness... He looked up at the white moon, alabaster as the skin of his beloved, the Lycan barely managed to hold back a whine... What was the point of continuing to live when his mission was over and those he loved were on the other side?</p><hr/>
<p>When Lucian opened the door that night, he felt that something had changed in the air, he sniffed the air, his ears were ready to pick up any suspicious rustle, and this happened, upstairs, in the bedroom, where he and Barty were resting. Taking great care not to make any noise, the Lycan went up the stairs and headed for the room, closed his eyes and listened, there was only silence, had Barty woken up and ran out the window? Or had someone found them? Lucian reached out and opened the door, he looked for the figure of his former cellmate, he found him on the ground, prone, at the foot of the bed.</p>
<p>"Here," the Lycan said, taking the other man's arm to pull him up and put him back on the bed, "Has anyone come? One of them?"<br/>
As Barty was placed long on the bed, he let out a cry, Lucian noticed his effort to articulate a syllable, pulled him up and placed a hand behind his back, sitting next to him, "Easy, you have all the time in the world."<br/>
They didn't really have it though, if there was someone Lucian had to react as soon as possible, he turned to better observe the room, every corner, every shadow, he found nothing, meanwhile Barty was trying to say something, but from his lips there was simply a continuous '<i>and</i>' that Lucian couldn't decipher; he rubbed the young man's back and spoke to him.</p>
<p>"I'll go check around, you stay here."<br/>
He got up from the bed, feeling Barty's eyes fixed on him, but he didn't imagine that look was full of hatred and anger, feelings ready to explode as soon as the body would restart to work, following the thoughts of its owner, Lucian simply went down the stairs, always keeping his guard up, ready to transform if it was necessary... It had been a bad idea to go out to clear his head, he recognized, but justified himself by saying that the idea of being imprisoned again drove him crazy. Maybe going in search of a farther hiding place might be a good start, he just had to wait for Barty to get back to normal. The Lycan hoped it wouldn't take too long, they were running out of time, he felt it, that sense of danger he had felt when he came back was still there, it hadn't disappeared; instinctively he looked up at the ceiling, at the room where he and Barty slept. Until he was able to protect himself, Lucian had to protect him, even if he didn't know the enemy's weak point.<br/>
He returned to the bedroom, the other man had been called by the gravity's force and was lying on the bed, his hands clenched into fists over his chest.</p>
<p>"There is no one. No danger," he began to speak, "But we should look for another hiding place, I'm starting to don't feel anymore safe here. Do you have the same feeling too? Of someone plotting in the shadows and waiting for the right moment just to attack."<br/>
He too laid down on the bed, noticing how alert Barty's eyes were, a wave of satisfaction made his lips curl in a slight smile.</p>
<p>"You better hurry. I'm tired of doing monologues. But you have to sleep first."<br/>
Despite the sense of danger and his alert senses, Lucian closed his eyes, being overcome with fatigue. Another day had passed, and he was still safe, still sound and still free.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The hand trembled slightly as it tried to rise. Escape had proved more difficult than expected. Who was he? He was waiting for Winky's breakfast. What was his name? He had to find a way to get rid of this stranger. What was his story? He had to do his Potions homework. Why couldn't he move? He had to kill his father. Why did he feel a strong need to scream? He had to move. Where should he go? He would lose points if he was late for Professor McGonagall's class.<br/>
Thoughts and memories mingled with each other, it was not easy to distinguish what was true and what was a mere fancy. He found that warmth pleasant, but he found the presence of that man oppressive. Why was he there? Wasn't he home? Where was his mother?<br/>
<br/>
His eyes glazed back and his body stiffened again, but his mind was able to formulate one last thought.</p><h2>His Dark Lord was waiting for him.</h2>
<p>His Dark Lord was waiting for him.</p>
<p>
  <sub>His Dark Lord was waiting for him.</sub>
</p>
<p>His Dark...</p>
<p>
  <sub>... Lord...</sub>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you want to scream with me, you can find me on <a href="https://kira-7.tumblr.com">
  <b>Tumblr</b>
</a> or <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/kira7_13">
  <b>Twitter</b>
</a> 😄</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lucian begins to feel trapped in that village, luckily someone will help him escape with Barty.<br/>Meanwhile, someone can no longer stay still.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And that ⬆️ person is the author 😂<br/>Ok, sorry for the immense delay, December was a tiring month. I didn't want to delay so much with the schedule, but unfortunately 2020 went like this. I just want to hope that next December won't be as tiring as the past one.<br/>Even if the holidays are over now and some not-so-good news has already happened, let me wish you a happy new year, with the hope that 2021 is really better. 💖<br/>Ah, most important: I don't know what it's like originally, but here the elves talk like "Dobby doesn't want Harry Potter to go to Hogwarts," in third person and stuff like that... If it isn't the same for the original, I hope you can forgive me.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>People had started asking him who he was, where he came from, and Lucian sidetracked their questions as much as possible, he didn't like that, he was starting to become a familiar face for all the villagers and the concern that someone would discover his true identity, and whoever hid, made him take the decision that it was time to flee. So it was that, one night, when Lucian was about to grab Barty's shoulders, the latter grabbed his neck, in a moment of seizure, and squeezed it with all his strength; those brown eyes of his, always vacuous at first, suddenly became full of anger and rancor, while a word could hardly come out of his lips, but his teeth were on display.<br/>
Lucian, at first taken aback, relaxed under that grip, and looked at the other man with irritated disdain, he hated having something gripping his neck.</p>
<p>"Come on," he told, "Go on. No matter how much anger you have in your body, you still wouldn't be able to break my neck."</p>
<p>"Lllll--" came out of those lips with great effort, "Llllllll...... Or...... Lllllord......"</p>
<p>"Lord? Now, I'll pick you up and let's get out of here, so shut up and let me."<br/>
The man seemed to understand, but his eyes returned empty as before and his hand was paralyzed in that position of having to strangle someone, so much so that Lucian was forced to detach it from his neck by strength. He grabbed the body and walked out of the abandoned house that had been their hiding place for weeks.</p>
<p>The Lycan was turning the corner of a house when a small voice reached his ears, "What are you doing to Master Barty."</p>
<p>Lucian turned and saw one of those little creatures that they kept talking even though they was watching him in terror, "Don't hurt Master Barty. Or Winky will defend him at the cost of her life."</p>
<p>"Would you sacrifice your life for your master?"</p>
<p>The being bowed her head and tortured her hands, "Master Barty was always good to Winky."</p>
<p>The Lycan tilted his head, wondering how a good person can become a criminal, "Your name is Winky, right?"</p>
<p>The creature looked back at him, "Yes, sir."</p>
<p>Lucian knelt, after having hoisted Barty well onto his back, "We have to escape from this village, your master and I. He can't move, but I don't know where to go."</p>
<p>"Winky will always help Padron Barty."</p>
<p>"Then tell me where we can hide."</p>
<p>The creature nodded and smiled, raising a hand, "Winky can do better, sir."<br/>
And she snapped her fingers.</p><hr/>
<p>Lucian, along with Barty and Winky, found himself inside a house, the walls were high, full of various portraits that moved and began to whisper among themselves in the amazement of the Lycan.</p>
<p>"Winky--" said one of them, a petite woman with a soft, delicate voice, "What are you doing here?"</p>
<p>"Winky has brought Master Barty home."</p>
<p>The woman turned her gaze to Lucian and seemed to study him, "He is not my son, my dear."</p>
<p>The Lycan cleared his throat and then spoke to her, "I'm afraid I'm not, but—" he turned so that the woman could see Barty's body, "I think he's your son."</p>
<p>The woman winced, putting her hand in front of her mouth, while another portrait, an old man, began to object, "A Death Eater cannot enter this house!"</p>
<p>"But he's still a Crouch," replied another painting, "This is his house."</p>
<p>"To make this mansion the new Death Eaters lair?! No way! The Crouch house won't be remembered that way! So Bartemius Junior and the other Death Eater have to leave now!"</p>
<p>"I'm not a Death Eater!," Lucian declared, feeling under attack from those portraits, "I don't even know what it is."</p>
<p>"They all say that," the old man replied scornfully, "But as soon as you ask them to show their left arm, they all stand back, just look at that."</p>
<p>Lucian didn't think much about it and while he was holding Barty with his other arm, he held out his left one, "What's wrong with my arm."</p>
<p>"You should turn it first."</p>
<p>Lucian carried out that request that stank so much of order, but he refrained from expressing his disappointment, preferring to expose it when those paintings, after seeing that his left arm was clean, all looked at each other doubtfully.<br/>
"Do you still have problems with my arm?"</p>
<p>The man didn't answer, choosing by far to go back to reading and writing on paper, so Barty's mother intervened, again, "What's your name boy?"</p>
<p>Lucian was puzzled for a moment at that question, considering his years he hadn't been in that category since centuries, and then if those paintings were the result of some technology that put people in contact from different places, how long would it take those ghosts to bring him back prison?<br/>
The woman seemed to understand the Lycan's mood and turned to the creature who had brought them there.</p>
<p>"Winky, lead our guest to Barty's room, there my son can rest. And prepare a room for him."</p>
<p>"Immediately Mistress."</p>
<p>"I won't stay long," Lucian interjected.</p>
<p>"You need to rest, stranger. Don't worry, Winky will take care of everything."</p>
<p>"Sure, Mistress. Winky is happy to be able to work for Mistress again. Sir has to follow Winky. Winky will take sir to Master Barty's room."<br/>
After a moment's hesitation, the Lycan began following Winky, looking around and occasionally glancing at the being in front of him.</p>
<p>"What creature are you?"</p>
<p>"Winky is an elf, sir."</p>
<p>"An elf? I thought they didn't exist in reality."</p>
<p>"Oh no, elves exist. Sir doesn't belong in the wizarding world, does he?"</p>
<p>"I would say no. My world wasn't populated by elves and other strange beings."</p>
<p>Winky opened a door, "Sir can put Master Barty here. Winky will take care of him."</p>
<p>Lucian entered the bedroom, it seemed normal, yet there was a sinister atmosphere, at times sad, photos of newspapers hanging on the wall, books and notebooks scattered on the desk, a small trunk with several toys beside it, and a broom resting on a wardrobe; dominating, however, was the canopied bed, a little dusty, which Winky cleaned up in a short time with a snap of her fingers. The Lycan gently placed Barty's body on the bed and walked to the door, before turning again and noticing how Winky began to talk to him, as a mother would to her child. Despite having no direct experience, he got that impression.</p>
<p>"He doesn't answer," he told to the elf, "In prison they said he had received Dementor's Kiss... Although I have no idea what that is."</p>
<p>The elf turned frightened, looking back at Barty for a second, "The Dementor's Kiss is a very bad thing. It takes away memories, they say. It takes away soul. Winky doesn't... Winky doesn't want to talk about this, too much fear Winky has."</p>
<p>"Sometimes he reacts, but only sometimes."</p>
<p>The creature nodded, then stroked Barty's hand, "Winky will come right back, Master Barty. Master Barty will have to give Winky time to show the guest his room. Please follow Winky, sir."<br/>
Lucian followed her to another room; even though he still had some doubts about whether to trust her or not, Lucian decided to ask a few questions.</p>
<p>"Won't the landlord be angry if I enjoy their hospitality?"</p>
<p>"Master Crouch has long been gone. Nobody knows what happened. In the village where Winky's old master lives it was rumored that Master Crouch was dead. But no one has ever found Master Crouch's body."</p>
<p>A shiver ran down the Lycan's back, "And wasn't he in one of those portraits?"</p>
<p>"They are portraits, photos cannot speak. And no, Master Crouch hadn't hired any Wizartist to paint a portrait. This is sir's room."<br/>
Lucian enters in an aseptic bedroom, but it was something he had never seen, especially if it was for him, used to sleeping on the floor or on low quality beds, or not sleeping at all.</p>
<p>"Thank your Mistress as soon as she returns."</p>
<p>Behind him, Winky shuddered and sniffed, then rubbed her nose with an arm, "Mistress died to save Master Barty. But Winky is sure Mistress would have been happy to receive sir's thanks."<br/>
Lucian turned immediately, watching the elf with horror and sadness.</p>
<p>"Winky wishes sir a good night," and she closed the door.<br/>
Silence enveloped the house, even if from time to time Lucian could hear Winky's voice talking non-stop to Barty, she would stop for just a couple of minutes, but then she would come back cheerful, intent on telling whatever came to her mind. The Lycan felt a smile arise on his lips and didn't hold it back, he decided to sit on the bed, intent on enjoying that peace. Could it last? Would he have been forced to flee again? How much could he trust them?</p><hr/>
<p>The Lycan woke up in a bed that wasn't his own, for a moment he tightened the sheets and looked around bewildered, he heard a female voice speaking far away; he remembered what had happened the previous night and relaxed, deciding to get up and head for the voice source, knowing who it belonged to. He arrived in front of Barty's bedroom door and there was Winky talking to him as she fed him, urging him to be good, so the "<i>Mistress</i>" would be proud of him.<br/>
Lucian leaned against the door jamb, arms folded, observing the scene: the previous night his mind might have been clouded with fatigue, but he wasn't mistaken and, with a clear mind, he confirmed what he had already noticed. Winky behaved with Barty in a maternal way, knowing then that Barty's real mother was dead, Lucian could probably guess the reason for this behavior. However, the Lycan hadn't forgotten the servile way in which that elf, or others like her, behaved towards their masters.</p>
<p>"Don't you bother serving human beings?"</p>
<p>The elf, taken aback, made the bowl shake a little, making drops of broth fall on Barty's hand, who whimpered at the sudden heat on his back; Winky apologized immediately and wiped it with the rag she used as a dress.</p>
<p>"I'm sure Barty didn't get any burns," he ventured to say, noting how apprehensive the elf was acting.</p>
<p>"No, no, no. Master Barty doesn't need these things. And Winky is terribly sorry."</p>
<p>"I'm sure he understands it, now you can go back to feed him."</p>
<p>Winky looked at Lucian in anguish, "Winky can't thank sir enough for saving Master Barty, and for giving Winky a chance to serve Master Barty again. But sir doesn't have to tell Winky how to deal with Master Barty, Winky knows how to do it."</p>
<p>And she returned to feed Barty, Lucian didn't say anything else, he watched for a few more minutes, then decided to leave, not before asking the elf, "Where's the kitchen?"</p>
<p>Winky stopped, "What does sir need it for?"</p>
<p>"To cook something."</p>
<p>"Oh no, Winky takes care of preparing sir something to eat. As soon as Winky finishes feeding Master Barty."</p>
<p>"No, thanks, I don't like being served."</p>
<p>However, despite his declinations, Winky finished her task and headed into the kitchen, stating things like it was an honor for elves to be able to serve, without giving Lucian a chance to protest. Lucian followed the elf into the kitchen, passing in front of those portraits, bowing his head in greeting to the petite woman, who replied with a smile.</p>
<p>"So, those portraits aren't real people."</p>
<p>"No sir. Those portraits capture the portrayed person's essence, but they aren't real people. Winky would be glad to be able to serve Mistress again. Mistress was always nice to Winky."</p>
<p>"What happened to her?"</p>
<p>Winky kept fumbling with the kitchen utensils, but Lucian could hear from the tone of her voice that the subject was saddening her, "A tragedy. Mistress was good and she loved Master Barty. Bad things happened. But Winky so much hopes that things may change now that Master Barty is back home. Come with Winky, sir, Winky brings sir some food."</p>
<p>"That is quick."</p>
<p>With a tray, the elf guided Lucian to what seemed to be the dining room, the Lycan felt slightly uncomfortable in the midst of that luxury, it was with some difficulty that he sat down on an upholstered chair and ate with those silver cutlery. As soon as he grabbed a fork, his fingertips burned and the Lycan threw away the silverware; Winky quickly reappeared.</p>
<p>"Has sir any problems?"</p>
<p>"Could you give me a cutlery that isn't silver, please?"</p>
<p>The elf was dumbfounded, "Doesn't sir like them?"</p>
<p>"I'm... Allergic to silver, that's all," he said with a face that wanted to remember a smile.</p>
<p>Winky then nodded, "Winky will see what she can do for sir."</p>
<p>She disappeared and, shortly after, returned with a less valuable fork, and Lucian managed to hold it in his hand without getting burned, also reassuring Winky who was apologizing for her default.</p><hr/>
<p>A week had passed, Lucian began to relax, even if he tried to understand from time to time that portion of the world around him, talking with those portraits, mostly with Barty's mother, the friendliest of all, or even with Winky, although it was a little difficult with the elf, as she always had something to do and Lucian had tried more than once to convince her that it wasn't good to serve people, but the elf didn't listen to him stating that she wasn't like a certain Dobby, that she would always serve her masters until the end of her days, especially Padron Barty.<br/>
Lucian was trying to find out more about the past of his former cellmate, however Winky was always very vague while answering him. Occasionally the Lycan went to visit Barty, spoke to him, but to no avail.<br/>
Neither Lucian nor Winky realized that Barty was regaining some of his consciousness and movements, especially since the Dark Wizard only moved when he was alone in his room, without the elf, much less without that stranger who spoke to him as if they met before. The Death Eater still had faded memories crammed together, but he remembered all the most important things, the hatred for his father, the love he felt for his Dark Lord, the contempt he felt for those Death Eaters who had renounced their way. With the intent to escape from that house, even though he didn't remember how he got there, Barty had tried to move his arms and legs calmly; it wasn't easy at first, he was still moving them jerky and not as smoothly as he wanted, but it was still a good result. A little less satisfying were the results of his mind, appearing and disappearing without warning, as if under some spell. It wasn't Oblivion, his memory, though confused, was present in all its entirety. But it was as if he were in a state of oblivion, total darkness that was broken from time to time by the voice of Winky or that of the stranger. Thus it was that Barty learned that he had escaped from Azkaban a second time, although as soon as he found out about it, his mind reminded him that he had to escape from the prison created by his father, that he had to be good, that his mother loved him, that he had to reach Bellatrix and Rabastan to torture the Longbottoms, that he had to retrieve his wand as soon as possible and reach his Dark Lord.<br/>
So, unaware of everyone, the situation continued quietly, another week passed, everyone had taken up their own routine, Lucian could walk quietly without having to worry, Winky had assured him that those ghosts, which he had discovered were called Dementors, they would've had a hard time finding the house, thanks to a dementor protection spell performed by the Master, Barty's father probably, and no one knew how to break it.</p>
<p>One day, however, Winky was busy in the kitchen, looking for some ingredient, Lucian didn't understand which one, when the Lycan heard a noise coming from Barty's room and immediately ran to the room, opened the door but found no one.<br/>
Lucian took a step forward, alarmed, looked around, once again feeling that sense of danger that he had felt in the village; he took another step, straining all his muscles in preparation for an attack.<br/>
Suddenly, someone jumped on him from behind, grabbing him by the neck, mumbling something. Lucian tried to free himself from the attacker by grabbing them and throwing them against the wall, knocking them against a tray placed on the desk.</p>
<p>He was shocked to see his attacker's face, "Barty?!"</p>
<p>The Dark Wizard got up with difficulty, looked at him fiercely, "Wheeeee... Reeeee..."</p>
<p>Lucian kept his cool, sure that, despite being up against a criminal, he couldn't be more dangerous than a Lycan, "I don't know what you're talking about."</p>
<p>With an unprecedented force, for someone who had recently resumed use of their body, Barty threw himself on Lucian, scratching his face, "Waaa...... Aaaaa... Aaaaand..."<br/>
Lucian pushed Barty again, causing him to fall beside the tray; Barty, not having his wand, took a knife and ran back to that intruder, sticking the silverware on his shoulder. The pain Lucian felt was intense and burning, he screamed at the sensation of the silver sinking deeper and deeper into his flesh, his head began to throb, his ears to buzz and his vision to blur, but he distinctly felt Barty accusing him of being a thief.</p>
<p>"Master Barty!," Winky's voice intervened, but the Wizard didn't listen to her, too intent on attacking the stranger in order to be told where he had hidden his wand; he tried to speak again, but only a hoarse and incomprehensible sound came out of his lips.</p>
<p>"Master Barty, no! Winky begs Master Barty!," the elf whined, unable to react against her Master.<br/>
Lucian, not hesitating, grabbed Barty by his shoulders, lifted him smoothly and threw him to the ground, holding his wrists and the collar of his shirt. The Dark Wizard tried to free himself, screamed and squirmed, his eyes glared at Lucian and the only thought that was present in his mind was the ardent desire to rejoin his Dark Lord, until his strength failed him, his anger faded into nothingness and that stranger's face was shrouded in darkness until it disappeared, and the Death Eater stopped moving, returning motionless under Lucian's exhausted gaze and Winky's frightened gaze.</p>
<p>"Sir killed Master Barty."<br/>
Once it was established that Barty had returned to a steady state of calm, Lucian let him go and walked away to lean against a wall, intending to take deep breaths and eject that damned knife from his shoulder.</p>
<p>"No, I didn't kill him, Winky... Check him out for yourself."<br/>
The technique he was implementing was having no effect, the tissues didn't seem to cooperate, so he grabbed the knife, not caring about the sting he felt on his fingers. In a fit of anger and frustration, the Lycan screamed and transformed completely, not caring to be seen by the elf, he used all his strength to extract that blade and finally succeeded, throwing the knife away and returning to normal.</p>
<p>"Is sir all right?"<br/>
Lucian was breathing heavily, he seemed to be weak again as when Kramer had fired those liquid silver bullets... He seemed to burn from the inside, he felt like he was dying again, he felt he had to breathe his last breath. Despite his attempts, Lucian was re-embraced by the darkness.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! ^^ See you soon!</p><p>If you want to scream with me, you can find me on <a href="https://kira-7.tumblr.com">
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</a> or <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/kira7_13">
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